Waiting on Wednesday #98: Beastly Bones by William Ritter

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Beastly Bones by William Ritter is the second book in the Jackaby series. It's due to be released September 22, 2015 by Algonquin Young Readers.

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.”

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's the sequel to Jackaby; and I really enjoyed Jackaby. I liked the character which was said to be a cross between Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes. The story itself was good too. My review of Jackaby can be found here.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Review: Jackaby by William Ritter

September 16, 2014
Algonquin Young Readers

Abigail Rook was fresh off the ship from Europe and in need of employment. After several failed attempts at finding any finally she found one ad that had promise.

On p.18:
"I carefully freed the advertisement, which read as follows:

INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES

ASSISTANT WANTED

$2 PER WEEK

MUST BE LITERATE AND POSSESS A

KEEN INTELLECT AND OPEN MIND

STRONG STOMACH PREFERRED

INQUIRE AT 926 AUGUR LANE

DO NOT STARE AT THE FROG

Thus she meets Jackaby for the second time since her boat made landfall. She finds him to be an interesting character. I have to agree with the blurb that he is a bit like Doctor Who and Sherlock rolled into one person.

Jackaby's purpose seems to be to help the police solve unusual or unsolvable crimes. He hires Abigail on a provisional basis since their abilities compliment each other. He notices the unusual but important details, such as fairies, non-human involvement, and the like; and she notices what might be considered commonplace but important details. They are quickly drawn into a case in which Jackaby maintains there is a non-human culprit, but the chief of police is skeptical.The story is told "as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre." (from the blurb)

I find this book to be very enjoyable. There is a rather bloody fight scene, so I would keep it on the YA to adult side of things. The humor and adventure is fun to read. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy paranormal stories with humor and a Holmes/Watson sort of relationship between the characters. I would definitely buy it as a gift for someone. Jackaby is due out September 16, 2014 from Algonquin Young Readers. I give it 4 stars.

All quotes unless otherwise noted come from an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesday: Jackaby by William Ritter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

September 16, 2014
Algonquin Young Readers

This week's teasers comes from the soon to be released book Jackaby by William Ritter. How could I resist a book that's been described by the publisher as "Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes? William Ritter's debut YA novel features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre."

Here are a few sentences in the voice of Jackaby's soon to be assistant, Abigail Rook from a postcard she wrote to her parents on p.14

As you had previously cautioned, a professional dig site proved to be no place for a young lady to run around. Currently in seek of a better place to do so.

So, what's your teaser this week? Please leave a link or your teaser in the comments. 

Waiting on Wednesday #41 - Jackaby by William Ritter

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I am waiting on Jackaby by William Ritter. It's his debut novel expected out September 16, 2014 by Algonquin books of Chapel Hill.They pretty much had me sold when the blurb read, "Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter's debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre."

 Here's what the publisher has to say about the book: 

Jackaby sighed and drew to a stop as we reached the corner of another cobbled street. He turned and looked at me with pursed lips. “Let’s see,” he said at last. “I observed you were recently from the Ukraine. A young domovyk has nestled in the brim of your hat. More recently, you seem to have picked up a Klabautermann, a kind of German kobold attracted to minerals. Most fairy creatures can’t touch the stuff. That’s probably why your poor domovyk nestled in so deep.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

So, what book are you waiting on this week?